Gillette And Kate Upton Tell You What Women Want

In what is already being called an insulting and questionable campaign, razor company Gillette has teamed up with model Kate Upton to discuss men’s body hair and what women like.

This is the first time Gillette has recruited women for a campaign, supposedly representing the voices of all the women around the world. Together with actresses Hannah Simone and Génesis Rodríguez, Upton discusses men’s body styling, and goes beyond just chest hair.

Men are increasingly trying to find out what it is that the women in their lives want, and are looking for answers. Based on a survey carried out by Gillette, the women share the opinions of different women around the world.

Through an integrated marketing campaign (print ads, tv ad, social media) that started in March, the three women help men understand what women prefer when it comes to men’s body hair, to promote the Gillette Fusion ProGlide Styler.

These efforts will lead up to an event on April 18th that will be broadcasted live online, in which the three spokeswomen will answer questions about body hair styling.

So what do women around the world want?

Take a look at what Upton, Simone, and Rodríguez have to say:

The idea behind this campaign? John Grim, Brand Manager for Gillette explains:

“Body hair styling is a huge and growing category, and our research shows that it’s an area of concern for both men and women. To better delight our men, we’ve been working to provide new insight into what women have to say in the matter.

Women have spoken, and overall they overwhelmingly prefer men who style their body hair. Specific preferences on how women like a man’s body styled vary quite a bit.

It’s up to men to decide what to do and up to us to provide the right tool for the job. Whatever look he or she wants, Fusion ProGlide Styler delivers with the combination of trimming, shaving, and edging in one precision tool.”

My Opinion
What to say about this campaign? It has been called superficial and insulting to both men and women, and compared to Axe’s marketing efforts because it tells men that using a product will improve their chances with women.

Of course, the subject of men’s body hair is a little superficial, and the message that a groomed body is more attractive doesn’t always apply to everyone.

However, I think it’s a clever move on Gillette’s part. “What do women want?” is a question that is undoubtedly on the minds of many men.

The main element of this campaign, three beautiful women explaining what they think is attractive, will definitely appeal to these men. The idea that a groomed body is most attractive to a lot of women is merely one opinion that is stated.

Hannah Simone, one of the women in the campaign, states that it is more important for a man to feel comfortable in his own skin, and is confident, than it is to be perfectly groomed or even hairless. And I think that is what we have to keep in mind when forming an opinion about this campaign.

What About You?
So, what do you think? Is Gillette’s campaign superficial, or is it all in good fun?

I remember the old campaign. This campaign though has some genius behind it. Look through and issue of a men’s magazine from GQ to Men’s Health to Maxim. This is an issue that guys want women to weigh in on. Taking that away from a magazine and giving the grooming credibility to your individual brand instead is pretty smart if you ask me.